remove bark from logs

[cats pa]

Hey, Ken.

This is going to depend somewhat on the species of wood and the diameter, but I'd try slitting the bark in one place and peeling with a tool softer than steel. Looking around my homestead here,the first thing I'd probly try is a plastic falling wedge, available at hardware stores and chainsaw shops for about 5 bucks. Or you could carve a blunted wedge tool out of wood, and try that.

I peel lots of cedar poles, and it wouldn't work on those because the bark is so stringy and sticks to the sapwood. But alder bark comes off easier, for example.

The time of year the logs are cut makes quite a difference in how the bark peels in some species. Really shows in cedar - winter cut logs hold bark much tighter than spring or summer cut ones.

Parker

[kenn]

Parker;

Thanks for the thoughts. Unfortunately, this would be more difficult with the hardwoods with which I work. The best option seems to be working with live-cut wood from springtime, and dealing with it immediately. I try to pry it off, hopefully in one large piece, with a dull flathead screwdriver, but a hardwood or plastic implement might be better. For wood that is drier, there seems to be no easy way!

Ken